Happily Ever After
by ToxiNeena
Summary: Because every Fairy Tale has to have a happily ever after.


**_Consider this my apology for my two week absence. And a belated father's-day-sorta-fic. My excuses for said absence will be in the next chapter of Adherence which WILL be up later today, swear on my parakeet's grave. So, for now, enjoy this Papa!Natsu fluff and some yummy NaLu married-people-stuffs._**

* * *

_Because every Fairy Tale has to have a happily ever after._

* * *

"Tell me a story, Daddy! A story, a story!" a four-year-old Layla exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly on her pink, frilly bed. She was practically shaking the whole room in her gusto. Her favorite stuffed rabbit was held snuggly in her arms, resting just underneath her cherub chin, its long, cotton ears flopping in sync with each energetic jump the little girl gave.

Her father looked down at her, his brows pulling into a surprised furrow. "A story?" he echoed.

"Please?" she asked, stilling momentarily to fix her father with the biggest, most innocent puppy dog eyes she could muster. And damn if they didn't work…she had her mother's eyes, and she somehow managed to pull off the same exact look—all hopeful, eyes big and wide and practically sparkling.

Natsu had always been weak to it. And his daughter knew it, too, unfortunately for him.

"Well, I don't know…" he muttered, scratching the back of his neck as he closed his eyes.

A grin fought its way to his mouth as he pictured the pleading pout that would be on his little girl's face. She really did look just like her mother when she pouted; her plump lips pursing, chubby cheeks puffing out in frustration, nose wrinkling, eyes all but glowing. In his mind, he could see it clear as day, didn't even need to open his eyes. But, he did anyway, just to see that expression of hers. And it floored him, completely stole his breath away and made his heart jump with adoration, just like it did every time.

So much of her mother in her features…

Layla continued to pout and plead nonverbally.

And then, Natsu's sharp ears picked up a nearly inaudible sigh. "C'mon, Dad, just one? So that Layla will go to bed?" piped his eldest, Igneel, from his own bed.

Again, the dragonslayer struggled to hide his happy grin. Though his son thoroughly denied it, the boy was a sucker for bedtime stories just like his younger sister. He said that bedtime stories were for babies and little girls—which he was neither, as he so often pointed out. But, of course, Natsu was not blind to the gleam in those brown eyes when he began his tales at the end of each night. Nor did he ever miss the fact that his son, though he tried to appear uninterested, always seemed to lean forward in his bed as the time ticked by and the story continued.

"_Pretty_ please?" Layla added. "I promise I'll go to bed. Cross my heart." The four-year-old took her tiny finger and dragged it across her small chest, drawing a hasty _X_.

Her father snorted. "Okay, all right," Natsu consented with a laugh. "Just one, though, so your mother doesn't get mad at me for keeping you up," he said, waving a finger to make sure that they both understood.

Both children nodded, their heads bobbing, Layla's golden hair flying in all different directions like her mother's.

"Yay!" she giggled, and snuggled into her covers with a grin. Her rabbit, Usa-pyon, was tucked into her arms and held into her chest as she beamed upward at her father ardently.

Igneel rolled his eyes and settled as well, obviously trying to appear disinterested in the whole ordeal.

Natsu decided to let the matter be for now. He would embarrass his son about it later, for sure. "So, what're you guys in the mood for tonight?" he inquired as he grabbed the wooden stool that, when it wasn't story time, stayed in the far corner of the children's room.

"Princesses!" Layla exclaimed without hesitation.

Igneel's nose wrinkled, his face scrunching up in mild, childlike disgust. "Ew… I like dragons better. Tell us about the dragons you fought, Dad," he said, sounding much more eager than he had just a few moments before.

Igneel loved dragons, loved listening to the stories of how his dad and mom had actually fought off a whole horde of them and won. And, naturally, he took pride in the fact that he was the grandson of a dragon. He loved that part, too. Because, hey, how many ten year olds could tell their friends that their grandpa was a _real_ dragon? Not very many.

Layla, however, was not as interested in the flying, fire-breathing beasts as her brother was. "No, no, no! Princesses are _way_ better than dragons. Mommy used to be like a princess, you know," she gushed, cheeks pink with excitement. "She was rich, and she lived in a big house, and she had butlers, and she had a garden, and she had big dresses, and—and – "

"Okay, how about a story about a dragon _and_ a princess?" interrupted Natsu with a chuckle. He reached out with a gruff, tanned and calloused hand to ruffle his little girl's hair, noting how her hair, especially, was just like her mother's.

Golden, soft to the touch, and always smelled like daisies.

The four-year-old peered up at her father, brushing her bangs back as they fell into her brown eyes. "A dragon and a princess?" she echoed, plump face falling into an expression of consideration. She glanced at her older brother, chubby fingers pulling at Usa-pyon's ears like they always did when she was thinking about something.

Igneel shrugged. "Okay, I guess that's fine, too," he said resignedly.

He figured that at least this way he didn't have to hear about some fairy princess and her pink, poofy dresses and her knight in shining armor. Ugh, that stuff was for babies—and his sister. She especially liked that mushy, kissy, sappy grossness. Yeah, this way, he could hear about some awesome dragons; those things could set whole _towns_ on fire. Which was _so_ totally cooler than some princess who just wanted to kiss a stranger and run away into the sunset with him.

Where was the fun in that? No action, no blowing up, no nothing. Just kissing, and talking animals and magical inanimate objects. Ugh.

Although, Igneel didn't mind the talking animals as much. He was used to Happy and the other exceeds. Happy was okay—annoying sometimes, as he often teased the boy about his "crush" on Fuyuki, but okay enough—and so was Charle. Patherlily, on the other hand, was totally awesome. For a cat with wings, anyway. Other than that, Igneel didn't really have much experience with talking animals.

And thank Mavis for that, he thought.

"Yo, Igneel? You finished spacing out, kiddo?" his father laughed, crossing his thick arms across his chest while a grin lifted his upper lip to reveal his white teeth.

The boy flushed, embarrassed by the fact that he'd been caught letting his mind wander off somewhere. It tended to do that, especially when he was in school—though, his mom and dad had assured him that that was pretty normal for kids his age and even older. "Wasn't spacing out," he muttered back.

"Sure, buddy," Natsu snorted, and, like he had his daughter, reached out to affectionately rub the top of his son's head, leaving familiar pink hair mused and disarrayed.

"The story, Daddy, the story!" his daughter reminded him urgently, as though he would suddenly forget his promise.

He laughed, a snorting sort of sound in the back of his throat, and sat back into the stool, re-crossing his arms. He propped his legs out, getting comfortable. "All right, okay. Now, let's see…" He paused to stroke his chin in a pondering manner, eyes rolling up to the ceiling. "How did it go again?" he asked aloud.

"Once upon a time, Daddy," Layla informed.

"That's right. I almost forgot." He chuckled, earning a giggle from his daughter and a huff from his son. Natsu cleared his throat, leaning forward on the tiny stool in order to fix both of his children with a stare. "Once upon a time there lived a beautiful princess…and a big, strong dragon…"

* * *

This beautiful princess was raised with all the love and care in the world. She had her favorite dresses, and her favorite jewels, and she loved to play in the big garden just outside her father's castle with her mother and some of the maids. But, one day, her mother, the queen, fell ill, and the beautiful princess grew sad.

She loved her mother dearly and having to say goodbye was painful. Unfortunately, her mother passed away, leaving the beautiful princess and her father alone in the castle. Like the beautiful princess, her father, the king, was very sad. He loved the beautiful princess's mother very, very much. But he also had a castle and a kingdom to care for, so the king worked. He worked, and he worked, and he worked.

With her father working so much, the beautiful princess felt very lonely. But the king was always thinking about his daughter. Worried for his daughter's safety now that the queen had passed, the king hardly ever let the beautiful princess go outside into the garden anymore. And eventually the beautiful princess began to resent her father. So, she ran away from the castle and the kingdom. She ran away to a far off land, where her father wouldn't be able to find her.

There, the beautiful princess got lost. She'd never been allowed outside of the castle for too long.

"_When are the dragons gonna come?"_

"_Shh! Don't interrupt Daddy!"_

And just when the beautiful princess was about to lose hope, a strange man who called himself Salamander approached her. Salamander was a wicked man, a wizard in disguise, who wanted to kidnap the beautiful princess and keep her all to himself. He was nice to the beautiful princess and managed to earn her trust.

But, the beautiful princess told Salamander "no" when he asked her to travel with him. The beautiful princess wanted to explore more. So, she set off, completely unaware of the wizard's fury.

A few days later, the beautiful princess managed to get lost again. She was searching for a famous castle, one called Fairy Tail, in hopes of finding a new home.

"_Hey, isn't that the name of your guild, Dad?"_

"_Shh, Iggy!"_

Wandering alone, the beautiful princess almost gave up and went back home to her father, who surely missed her. But, just in the nick of time, a huge, powerful, awesome dragon appeared before her. The beautiful princess was fascinated, and instantly wished to be friends with the dragon.

The dragon was also captivated by the beautiful princess. He'd never seen another beautiful woman in his life—but he was too shy to say so out loud.

When the beautiful princess asked where she could find the castle Fairy Tail, the dragon shook his head and lied to her. While he thought she was wonderful, he didn't know if the beautiful princess wanted to harm his haven. The powerful dragon was also a part of Fairy Tail—it was his home. The beautiful princess was disappointed, but, nonetheless, she was a very kind person. She gave the huge dragon some food to eat for his troubles.

The dragon was flattered by her kindness, so, he let the beautiful princess go and helped her back into town. The beautiful princess said goodbye to the dragon.

Then, out of nowhere, Salamander the wizard appeared! He kidnapped the princess and forced her onto a boat, so that he could take her far, far away. The beautiful princess, terrified, didn't know what else to do, so she called for her dragon friend, hoping that he might hear and help her.

He did. Like a powerful storm, the mighty dragon swooped in. He smashed the boat to little, tiny pieces and set it on fire with his fire-breath. Then, he gobbled up the mean wizard in one bite.

"_Sweet!"_

"_Iggy!"_

The dragon flew the beautiful princess to safety. She was very grateful to the dragon for saving her life, and so, she asked for his name. The dragon said his name was Salamander, the person who the wizard had been impersonating all that time. To show her gratefulness to Salamander, the dragon, the beautiful princess kissed him on his snout.

The dragon was very happy; he liked the beautiful princess very much. So, he took her to his home—Fairy Tail—and he vowed to be her friend and watch over her for the rest of their lives.

The end.

* * *

"Wait, wait, wait!" Layla commanded, hands waving in the air frantically. "Did the beautiful princess and the dragon live happily ever after?"

Natsu's look was contemplative as he pursed his lips in thought. "Yes, I think they did," he answered with a smile.

"Well, did they get married? That's how _all_ happily ever after's end." The four-year-old crossed her arms, looking quite expectant. She arched her back and yawned afterwards, blinking sleepy eyes at her father.

Igneel scoffed at his younger sister, fighting the yawn that was coming on. He was tired, too. "Layla, I don't think dragons and people can get married… Can they, Dad?" he asked, quirking a brow at Natsu, who still perched himself on the little wooden stool between his kids' beds.

"Hm, no clue…" the fire dragonslayer murmured, scratching his head, fingers digging through unruly, pink hair.

"Off course they can, Iggy," Layla scoffed as though the answer was obvious. "Because they love each other, don't they, Daddy?"

Natsu's smile softened as he blinked down at his daughter, who was curling into her covers with Usa-pyon. She yawned again, little mouth stretching widely, before burrowing into her pillow. "You bet they do," he said, and smoothed her golden hair back from her face.

She grinned up at him. "G'night, Daddy."

"Goodnight, Layla." He kissed her forehead, rubbed her cheeks with his thumbs, and patted Usa-pyon twice on his fluff-filled crown—he had to say goodnight to Usa-pyon, too, as Layla always pointed out that even stuffed animals had feelings. Straightening, he leaned over Igneel's bed. "Night, kiddo," he said softly, ruffling his son's hair again.

"Dad…" the ten-year-old protested weakly, stifling another yawn with a hand.

"All right, okay," Natsu chuckled, and patted the bed sheets. He walked quietly over to the door and peered over his shoulder as he flicked the lights off, watching as both children's breathing evened out and settled into a soft, repetitive rhythm. Natsu stepped outside and shut the door.

"You know," came a voice, smooth and amused, from directly behind him, "that's not exactly the way I remember the story going." Lucy wrapped her slender arms around Natsu's torso, burrowing her face into his back. She inhaled—he always smelled so good…like campfires and other spices. She loved the way that their bed sheets always smelled that way even after she'd washed them countless times.

"Is that so?" Natsu's response was a rumble that she felt vibrate through his back and into her bosom, directly to her heart.

It made her bones and insides quiver. "Yeah," she said back, forehead still pressed to one of his shoulder blades. "First of all, I don't quite recall the beautiful princess falling for the mighty dragon at first sight. And secondly, I'm pretty sure that mighty dragon was unbelievably dense when it came to beautiful princesses." Her laughter was teasing, light as a bell, and so much like her daughter's.

The fire dragonslayer, though he supposed he should have been a smidge embarrassed, chuckled too and pried her hands away from his abdomen to turn her around. He looked directly into her eyes, grinning in the way he knew she loved. It looked so much like Igneel's that it almost made Lucy's heart ache.

"Oh, really now?"

"Yes, really now," Lucy replied and leaned forward till they were chest to chest. She loved being able to feel his heartbeat through his chest, feel it beat against her own to some unknown cadence. It was so calming. Smiling warmly, she planted a quick kiss to the corner of her husband's jaw.

Natsu grinned wider at the lingering spark her lips left behind on his skin. She always had that effect on him—wherever she touched, her warmth always seemed to linger for a little while; and while he was never cold, he found that warmth irresistible. He slipped his fit arms around her waist, holding her to him as he ducked his chin to peck her on the forehead.

"But," Lucy laughed again, "you did manage to get one thing right, I think."

"Hmm? And what would that be?" asked Natsu as he stooped further to nuzzle the side of her neck, planting sweet, loving kisses to the pale skin there.

Hands grabbed his face, thumbs resting on his cheekbones and stroking lovingly. Lucy pulled back a little so she could make eye contact, her eyes liquidy and filled with euphoria and bliss. "They lived happily ever after."

Natsu paused, blinking, before smiling wider. "Yeah," he murmured, pulling her to their bedroom across the hall slowly, "they sure did. Now… I think it's time for our own bedtime story, don't you?"

Her look was coy and saucy and she followed after him with a swing to her busty hips. "That sounds like a good idea. What's the story about this time?" She kicked their bedroom door shut with a bare heel.

He backed up into the bed in the darkness, sitting down on their generously-sized mattress that sank with his weight. The covers were silky smooth beneath his palms, much like Lucy's creamy skin. That was part of the reason he'd insisted on having the particular sheets that they did. She probably didn't understand, which was fine with him.

"Hmm, I was thinking it'd be about you and me this time."

"I can't wait to hear it, then…" she murmured, sashaying over and planting herself gracefully in his lap. "Tell me, though, how does this one end?" asked Lucy as she buried her face into his neck and collar bone, breathing deeply.

Campfires and spices, the smell was everywhere.

"Well, I guess I can spoil the ending for you." He lay back onto the bed, letting her crawl on top of him and sit on his hips and thighs. With a single hand, he reached up and tucked the golden hair that their daughter's looked so much like behind her ear, letting that same hand skim her jaw and neck and trail down to her heart, where it rested. In a whisper, he said, "We live happily ever after."

* * *

_**I don't know how ideas like this come to me... I really don't. I'll be eating pizza rolls and then BAM sudden OTP ficlet perfection. Ugh. It was torture for this one, particularly, because I was nowhere near my laptop and thus couldn't write it down for the longest time... But, I think I got this gist of what I was imagining. Still feel like something's missing though... This is why I need to just carry my laptop around with me everywhere I go. I'll probably remember it randomly, like when I'm eating more pizza rolls. **_

_**...those things always seem to give me strangely good ideas. Huh. I should eat pizza rolls more often.**_

_**Annnnyway. Enough of the pizza rolls... **_

_**Thoughts? Comments? Leave 'em for me to read!**_


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